Monday Memos // 93

Listening:

“Comeback Kid” by Sharon Van Etten. New Sharon! And it’s not epically depressing! I’m looking forward to hearing the full album.

“The Flu” by Lala Lala.

“Love Leaks” by TT.

Reading:

I won’t give you anything too depressing and hard to read. We all need a break sometimes.

These are entertaining updates from people that I sit near at work. Here.

Mr. Autumn Man Walking Down Street With Cup Of Coffee, Wearing Sweater Over Plaid Collared Shirt

“What Kind of Times Are These” By Adrienne Rich

A good way to describe the political landscape.

Craving:

I had a delicious feast at Shuka with my parents. We had falafel, so much warm pita bread, Taramasalata (Smoked Arctic Char dip with Trout Roe), butternut squash hummus, kebabs (with spiced yogurt, zhoug, parsley+sumac onions), kale and acorn squash salad, and scallops. Amazing.

I also went to An Choi, a wonderful Vietnamese eatery. I had a shrimp and avocado salad roll, veggie Phở, and Bánh Mì Gà Chiên (Crispy baked chicken leg poached in lemongrass & garlic). Also amazing.

(image via anchoinyc.com)

Wearing:

I could write the same thing as last time—it got hot again and then it cooled off again and then got hot again (and it’s making me feel ill! so stop please!). I wore a lot of black and white and brown and olive. Lace and structure and collared and casual. One day I threw in a hot pink shirt.

Watching:

I really want to see:

The Romanoffs. “Emmy-winning producer Matthew Weiner (Mad Men) created this anthology series that tells stories of people who believe that they are descendants of a Russian royal family. Each episode takes place in a new location -- with filming occurring on three continents -- with a new cast. Among the actors appearing in the hourlong installments are Aaron Eckhart, Amanda Peet, Diane Lane, Kathryn Hahn, Noah Wyle, and Mad Men alumni Christina Hendricks and John Slattery. Weiner writes and directs each episode of the Amazon original series.” Cannot wait. There are a million other amazing actors in this too.

And with more Kathryn Hahn, I want to see Private Life. “A couple coping with infertility struggle to keep their marriage going as they navigate through the world of adoption and assisted reproduction.” It’s also got Paul Giamatti and Molly Shannon.

Treasuring:

Chilling: Sometimes you need to lie in your bed for an afternoon and cancel plans and stay up late texting in the dark. Sometimes you need to nap at odd hours of the day. Sometimes you need to just sit on a bench at the park.

Monday Memos // 79

Listening:

"Miki Dora" by Amen Dunes.

"Heart Shaped Face" by Angel Olsen.

"West Coast" by Coconut Records. (I told Jason Schwartman that I love this song and it tears my heart apart in the best possible way. He agreed. *More below.)

Reading:

I found a stack of books on the designated free table at my apartment and there were some gems.

• I Am a Cat: Three Volumes in One by Soseki Natsume: Written from 1904 through 1906, Soseki Natsume's comic masterpiece, I Am a Cat, satirizes the foolishness of upper-middle-class Japanese society during the Meiji era. With acerbic wit and sardonic perspective, it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray kitten who comments on the follies and foibles of the people around him.
• A signed copy of Turtles All the Way Down by John Green: “This novel is by far [Green’s] most difficult to read. It’s also his most astonishing. . . . So surprising and moving and true that I became completely unstrung. . . . One needn’t be suffering like Aza to identify with it. One need only be human.”—The New York Times

I also cannot wait to read David Sedaris' new book Calypso. This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumour joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet - and it just might be his very best.

Craving:

Sometimes I daydream about freshly ground peanut butter. Sometimes when I'm eating it by the spoonful, straight from the plastic tub—a process that entails scraping around the edge and then smoothing the surface to an even level—I think, "I could survive on a deserted island with fresh peanut butter." Deep cuts.

I ate at a new, beautiful Vietnamese restaurant on Saturday—Di An Di (it means “Let’s go eat"). I ate a simple but amazing scallion lemongrass mushroom phở and this crispy rice noodle dish with lotus root, okra, water spinach, and bean sprouts. I can't wait to try more of the things and eat those crispy noodles again. 

"The plant-strewn bar and dining room were designed by the Red Hook–based Ladies & Gentlemen Studios." (Photo by Melissa Horn via grubstreet)

Wearing:

NY Design Week made me pull out all the stops and experiment in my dressing. A wore three blue jumpsuits on consecutive days (a cotton tube top version, a thin chambray short sleeved version, and the beloved corduroy long sleeved version). I wore a full pink outfit (hot pink pencil skirt, pale pink tee, bubblegum pink nylon shoes, and pale pink socks). I wore head to toe black and white (polka dot-ish pants and a starry shirt). I dusted off old shoes from a decade or more ago (pointy-toed lace-ups and beat-up old sneaks). Feels like a fashion revival. 

Watching:

In a matter of days, I watched the entirety of the new Netflix series Safe. I was swamped with work and plans, yet I still managed to watch it in the briefest, most entranced moments. Michael C. Hall captured my heart years ago as David on Six Feet Under, so that was the initial draw. It is very Broadchurch. I want more.

I also watched Ibiza. A good cheesy romp movie with a slew of actors I like (Gillian Jacobs, Michaela Watkins, Phoebe Robinson, Vanessa Bayer, Richard Madden—aka Robb Stark!). It was the kind of movie I needed to escape from sore feet and loneliness for an hour and a half. Minimal substance, easy entertainment. 

Treasuring:

Design Week: Working Sight Unseen Offsite... what a whirlwind. It was constant and chaotic. It was amazing and exhausting. It was stressful and euphoric. I met and reunited with so many lovely and wonderful designers and artists and makers and photographers. I feel overwhelmed with inspiration. I felt the best kind of jealousy. I felt new dreams and aspirations welling up inside. I went to so many events and spaces. I extroverted my heart out. I could write a novel with all my thoughts and feelings on the matter.

*I even got to meet one of my all-time favorite actors, Jason Schwartzman, who was one of those rare treats who didn't disappoint in the flesh. He was kind and thoughtful and he played his dreamy pianette with a baby (Alfie) on his lap. From Max Fischer to the O.C. theme song to Coconut Records to Fantastic Mr. Fox, I'm here for it all. His wife was a dream and seriously pulls off bright orange lipstick.

From the OFFSITE party. Brady Cunningham (wife), Jason, and Katy Burgess (Brady's Wall For Apricots business partner), and the pianette. (image by Don Stahl via sightunseen)